ULTRAMagic Eon 1 - Chapter 4
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By the end of the week, Blood-Wraith felt good enough to get his room at the guild all set up. The anxiety caused by Eloise prompted him to avoid the guild hall, but his talk with Dragoslava and Dunja made him feel better, like he could handle it. He was sleeping in on Sunday morning when he felt a soft rumble. At first he thought it was no big deal, as he was comfortable under his blankets. The guild hall made use of impossible space, with his room residing in such a section. Things could have been shifting and tremors were not completely uncommon in the Central Unlight. A second rumble challenged that notion and the third made him realize his ideas did not make sense.
Blood-Wraith rushed out in his pajamas, making his way to the security room. Other guild members were scrambling to get ready as the rumbles continued. In regards to the security room, it was full of monitors and arcane-looking computers, with alerts sounding off on the screens all over the place. Tiberius and Deimos were trying to make sense of what was happening while Alexia looked through the data being relayed on another computer.
“Guys, what’s going on!?” Blood-Wraith called out from the doorway.
“It’s a bombardment of some kind,” Tiberius answered as another rumble occurred. “We’re still trying to discern what, however…”
“Hold up, dear,” Alexia cut in as she tore a sheet of paper from a built-in printer. “It appears to be… ice cream fireballs?”
“Excuse me, what?” Blood-Wraith was baffled.
Deimos paused what he was doing to look at her with utmost bewilderment. “Ice cream?”
“Well I’d dare say that’s why the alarms didn’t initially go off,” Alexia pointed out.
Tiberius was utterly confused as another rumble knocked his mug of coffee onto the floor. “Out of all the things I’ve encountered in my tenure…”
“ICE CREAM?” Blood-Wraith questioned. “Why didn’t the alarms-ARGH!” He then took on the form of Verdant Might. Notably the demon-esque, muscular form of black metal and green fire had been outfitted with lime green armor plates thanks to a power up from three months prior. “I knew we should’ve done something the minute that letter arrived!” He then ran off, his feet thumping down the hall.
Tiberius groaned a little. “Blood, Wait a-you know what? He’s got the right idea. Alexia, follow me! Eustorgio, stay here and keep an eye on things!”
Most of the guild was already outside, with Barry and Aureolus inspecting the ice cream that was splattered all over the front walls. “What’s the damage?!” Blood-Wraith asked.
Barry had conjured up a waffle cone and was eating a scoop of the ice cream. “It’s… it’s spice? Maybe?”
“Mm, like a cinnamon flavor,” Aureolus remarked as he also ate some.
Desislav gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “Guys, don’t…” He then scooped some up with his two fingers and tried some. “Hey, that’s pretty good.”
Dragoslava shook her head with a smile on her face. “Well it cannot be all bad then.”
Jonathan knelt down and inspected some of the ice cream as one last projectile struck the front of the guild, some of it getting on his shoulders. “This is well beyond my wheelhouse, mateys…”
Brandr noticed Tiberius and Alexia and went over to them. “Tiberius, is ice cream magic a thing here? Because I know some ice and snow devils back home that can do similar…”
“Theoretically any form of magic is possible, but I have a good idea who is behind this already…” Tiberius replied.
“And I’d dare say we won’t have to wait long for that answer,” Alexia said as she pointed at the open gate. “Given the whimsical nature of this attack, I’d dare say she is our culprit.”
Walking down the cobblestone path was what appeared to be a woman made out of soft serve ice cream. She was adorned in samurai armor made of hardened waffle plates and had what appeared to be a katana sheathed at her side. Confidence radiated from her without a single hint of doubt in her gait. Blood-Wraith and the others were not sure what to think. They had to concede she was quite cute upon her removing the mask from her helm, however.
“Well howdy, ULTRAMagic Guild!” she announced. “I’m Eloise Ter Avest and I’m here to extend an invitation to Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot… where is he?” She began looking around, confusing the others as to whether or not she was messing around.
“Ahem…” Blood-Wraith said.
“Ah, there you are!” She then visually inspected his current form, utterly amazed. “Wow, you’re a lot taller and more handsome than I thought you would be…”
The others were quietly laughing as they could see Blood-Wraith getting flustered. “Alright, alright!” he said as he stomped his foot. “Since you clearly sent that first letter, Eloise, what does Valerie want?”
“Oh you know, she just wants to talk about the Unlight and stuff before the festivities start…”
Razor had walked up in his wolf form, sniffed Eloise a couple of times, then went over to the gates where he returned to his humanoid form. “Wow, are those ice cream golems? He asked. “Cool! Donia would love them.”
Mizuki also walked over to get a better look. “And are those catapults?” she admired as the golems fiddled around, cleaning and fixing things up. “Did you make these yourself, Eloise-san?”
She giggled, as it was tempting to take credit for everything. “Well I had a little help from my mother. She even made my armor and sword…” Eloise stated as she took some steps back. “Now, Blood, I could give you the invite right now, but where’s the fun in that?” She then drew her sword, the blade being the color of orange and pink sherbert swirls. “Fight me! I want to see how strong you are, given that you defeated The Lich!”
Blood-Wraith gave her an incredulous look. “Why not just give me the letter first? Then we fight…”
Tiberius chuckled. “It looks like your honor has been challenged, Sir Raynot.”
“Excuse me, Tiberius; why are you going along with this?” He then whistled for his sword staff, Voidborne, which flew right into his hand. Truthfully he expected Tiberius to go on a lecture, but he just nodded at Blood-Wraith. “If you all insist…” He then summoned the large crystal blade, which glittered in the morning sun.
“Ooh, pretty,” Eloise complimented.
Barry had a bit of a chuckle, humming with excited electricity. “I don’t know how this is going to go, guys. Blood ain’t got the best track record, given his duel with Dunja…” This warranted some other chuckles, a few mildly incredulous looks, and a slight glare from Blood-Wraith.
“Don’t worry, Blood, you’ve got this,” Cronus encouraged. “Second time’s the charm.”
“It’s ‘third time’s the charm,’ Cronus,” Serjiel corrected.
He groaned a little in embarrassment. “My point still stands.”
Eloise could not help but laugh. “I know about the duel, as mom was there to see it…”
“WHAT, YOU TOO!?” Blood-Wraith exclaimed as he slammed his blade down on Eloise’s, catching her off guard. “JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SPYING ON ME!?” Everyone else quickly backed up as they could sense Blood-Wraith’s frustration just by being near him.
Blood-Wraith was venting anxiety and it showed in his frantic attacks. There was a mix of wide swings and staff acrobatics, all derived from his sessions with Master Vilho Rinne. Eloise was certainly no slouch, as her sword slashes were quick and swift, indicating she was playing to win. Her tenacity definitely caught Blood-Wraith off guard a few times. As for the rest of the guild, they were utterly enjoying the spectacle, amazed by what they were seeing from the two.
Yoshihiro was shadow boxing in tune with the sword classes, clearly having fun with all of it. “This is so freaking cool! Blood would kill it at one of the martial arts tournaments back home!”
“Oh shoot,” Dragoslava said as she noticed some familiar attacks. “Those are some of the techniques Vlastimir helped him use back in the Dark Grand Desert!”
Desislav nodded, thinking back to then. “Hey you’re right…” he then realized the issues that could arise. “Careful, Blood! Don’t go overboard as Vlastimir isn’t here right now!”
Weaver clapped as he noticed Blood-Wraith begin to glow with lilac fire surrounding him. “Oh shoot, here comes Indigo Wolf!”
The great wolf appeared in a burst of fire, standing at 10 feet tall and enwreathed in the lilac flames. Voidborne had turned into a giant greatsword that he held in his mouth. Eloise was amazed as she dodged Blood-Wraith’s charges, assuming she was up against Dunja’s power. Of course the grass and the yards were getting all scuffed up, but Tiberius was willing to allow it in order to show Valerie that they meant business. As the guild members cheered the combatants on, Brenna came running up to Tiberius and Alexia.
“Don’t worry…guys…” she was a bit out of breath. “The Royal Guard is on their way.” The others were disappointed by this news, causing Brenna to give them all confused looks.
“The Royal Guard?!” Eloise exclaimed as she knocked Blood-Wraith back. She then noticed that her golems were getting shot at. “Time to skedaddle! You win, Blood!”
“Wait, really?!” he said as he reverted back to his human form. “I was just getting warmed up! Why not resume this later?”
Eloise tossed him the envelope as she ran out the gate. “Don’t be late!” she called out as she summoned a motorcycle made of ice cream and candy. Eloise tore out of there, her golems following behind with haste.
Everyone settled down as the guardsmen approached to check on them. As Brenna went to address them, Blood-Wraith looked at the fancy envelope. “So where were Schwarzes and Zal in all of that ruckus?”
As if on cue, the two appeared from a gleaming, turquoise portal. They both looked a bit panicked. “Where’s Eloise!?” Ultimatum demanded to know.
“Argh, we missed her!” Zal-Rint complained. “I told Wynnstan he could handle that task from Nacht by himself, damn it!”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were related to Blood, Schwarzes,” Tiberius quipped, with some of the others trying to hide their quiet laughter.
“Don’t fret, boys,” said Alexia. “Eloise meant no harm. I’d be lying if I said all of it wasn’t quite fun and exciting.”
Tiberius then straightened out his collar and cleared his throat. “You two can make up for it by convening with us for a meeting on this matter. Blood, Drago, come with us. The rest of you? Let’s get this mess cleaned up before anything else happens.” There were some groans, but the guardsmen that showed up offered their assistance.
The guild hall had a good amount of conference and meeting rooms, all well built with cozy, wooden interiors and decorative plants lining the walls. Vexation and Deimos were the last to show up at Room 1A, with Tiberius and Dragoslava making sure everyone was up to speed. Ultimatum, Zal-Rint, and Vexation were all quite proud of Blood-Wraith, albeit he was more relieved if anything. Eventually the matter of the invitation came up, with Blood-Wraith reading it aloud.
“Let’s see… ‘Dear Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot, you are cordially invited to a modest dinner party at Castle Ter Avest tomorrow starting at 3 PM. You are also welcome to bring a small group of your choosing. Sincerely, Valerie Ter Avest. P.S. There should be a copy of Grave Requiem Overkill: Absolution Edition at your doorstep. Have fun.” Blood-Wraith calmly put down the letter and sighed. “She knows where I live, guys…”
Ultimatum nodded. “So, are you going to go?”
“Obviously… um, Uncle Deimos? Is it safe to go?”
Deimos leaned back in his chair and pondered that with a subtle grin. “I mean, it should be. Valerie has always been a refined woman of class, and an exceptionally fair maiden at that, yes indeed…”
Vexation noticed Deimos’ tone, groaned, and lightly whacked him upside the head. “Easy, loverboy. She invited Blood, not you.” He then noticed the others looking at them weirdly. “It’s complicated between those two.”
“Ahem, sorry. Past courtships and whatnot. “Yes, Blood, it should be safe to go. Valerie always respects a parley.”
“Alright then.” Blood-Wraith looked around the table for a second. “I definitely want Dunja along, and you too, Tiberius.”
“Of course, Blood,” he replied. “I would not let you go alone into such a situation, regardless of Valerie’s stance towards us.”
“And I’ll go too!” Dragoslava announced.
“Sure, sister,” Blood-Wraith replied. “Why though? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Well obviously to keep an eye on you and so I can write all of this down. Plus I’m curious to see what her castle is like.”
Tiberius nodded in agreement. “Very fair reasoning indeed. It would behoove all of us and the CUE Guild to document this meeting.”
Blood-Wraith was on board with that idea. “Fair enough. At least Valerie has good taste in video games… oh, she also included a map.”
Alexia clapped. “How excellent. There should be nothing to worry about then. It sounds like this will be a pleasant meeting where you’ll get to know each other. Now remember, Blood; you are a knight representing us and The Iron City. Be on your best behavior at all times.”
He laughed. “I know, Alexia, I know. Theobold and Brenna have been making sure I thoroughly study the Knight’s Code.” Blood-Wraith then sighed a breath of relief. There was still a little tension in his voice, but it was clear he was feeling better. “This is going to be interesting…”
Next: Chapter 5
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
By the end of the week, Blood-Wraith felt good enough to get his room at the guild all set up. The anxiety caused by Eloise prompted him to avoid the guild hall, but his talk with Dragoslava and Dunja made him feel better, like he could handle it. He was sleeping in on Sunday morning when he felt a soft rumble. At first he thought it was no big deal, as he was comfortable under his blankets. The guild hall made use of impossible space, with his room residing in such a section. Things could have been shifting and tremors were not completely uncommon in the Central Unlight. A second rumble challenged that notion and the third made him realize his ideas did not make sense.
Blood-Wraith rushed out in his pajamas, making his way to the security room. Other guild members were scrambling to get ready as the rumbles continued. In regards to the security room, it was full of monitors and arcane-looking computers, with alerts sounding off on the screens all over the place. Tiberius and Deimos were trying to make sense of what was happening while Alexia looked through the data being relayed on another computer.
“Guys, what’s going on!?” Blood-Wraith called out from the doorway.
“It’s a bombardment of some kind,” Tiberius answered as another rumble occurred. “We’re still trying to discern what, however…”
“Hold up, dear,” Alexia cut in as she tore a sheet of paper from a built-in printer. “It appears to be… ice cream fireballs?”
“Excuse me, what?” Blood-Wraith was baffled.
Deimos paused what he was doing to look at her with utmost bewilderment. “Ice cream?”
“Well I’d dare say that’s why the alarms didn’t initially go off,” Alexia pointed out.
Tiberius was utterly confused as another rumble knocked his mug of coffee onto the floor. “Out of all the things I’ve encountered in my tenure…”
“ICE CREAM?” Blood-Wraith questioned. “Why didn’t the alarms-ARGH!” He then took on the form of Verdant Might. Notably the demon-esque, muscular form of black metal and green fire had been outfitted with lime green armor plates thanks to a power up from three months prior. “I knew we should’ve done something the minute that letter arrived!” He then ran off, his feet thumping down the hall.
Tiberius groaned a little. “Blood, Wait a-you know what? He’s got the right idea. Alexia, follow me! Eustorgio, stay here and keep an eye on things!”
Most of the guild was already outside, with Barry and Aureolus inspecting the ice cream that was splattered all over the front walls. “What’s the damage?!” Blood-Wraith asked.
Barry had conjured up a waffle cone and was eating a scoop of the ice cream. “It’s… it’s spice? Maybe?”
“Mm, like a cinnamon flavor,” Aureolus remarked as he also ate some.
Desislav gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “Guys, don’t…” He then scooped some up with his two fingers and tried some. “Hey, that’s pretty good.”
Dragoslava shook her head with a smile on her face. “Well it cannot be all bad then.”
Jonathan knelt down and inspected some of the ice cream as one last projectile struck the front of the guild, some of it getting on his shoulders. “This is well beyond my wheelhouse, mateys…”
Brandr noticed Tiberius and Alexia and went over to them. “Tiberius, is ice cream magic a thing here? Because I know some ice and snow devils back home that can do similar…”
“Theoretically any form of magic is possible, but I have a good idea who is behind this already…” Tiberius replied.
“And I’d dare say we won’t have to wait long for that answer,” Alexia said as she pointed at the open gate. “Given the whimsical nature of this attack, I’d dare say she is our culprit.”
Walking down the cobblestone path was what appeared to be a woman made out of soft serve ice cream. She was adorned in samurai armor made of hardened waffle plates and had what appeared to be a katana sheathed at her side. Confidence radiated from her without a single hint of doubt in her gait. Blood-Wraith and the others were not sure what to think. They had to concede she was quite cute upon her removing the mask from her helm, however.
“Well howdy, ULTRAMagic Guild!” she announced. “I’m Eloise Ter Avest and I’m here to extend an invitation to Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot… where is he?” She began looking around, confusing the others as to whether or not she was messing around.
“Ahem…” Blood-Wraith said.
“Ah, there you are!” She then visually inspected his current form, utterly amazed. “Wow, you’re a lot taller and more handsome than I thought you would be…”
The others were quietly laughing as they could see Blood-Wraith getting flustered. “Alright, alright!” he said as he stomped his foot. “Since you clearly sent that first letter, Eloise, what does Valerie want?”
“Oh you know, she just wants to talk about the Unlight and stuff before the festivities start…”
Razor had walked up in his wolf form, sniffed Eloise a couple of times, then went over to the gates where he returned to his humanoid form. “Wow, are those ice cream golems? He asked. “Cool! Donia would love them.”
Mizuki also walked over to get a better look. “And are those catapults?” she admired as the golems fiddled around, cleaning and fixing things up. “Did you make these yourself, Eloise-san?”
She giggled, as it was tempting to take credit for everything. “Well I had a little help from my mother. She even made my armor and sword…” Eloise stated as she took some steps back. “Now, Blood, I could give you the invite right now, but where’s the fun in that?” She then drew her sword, the blade being the color of orange and pink sherbert swirls. “Fight me! I want to see how strong you are, given that you defeated The Lich!”
Blood-Wraith gave her an incredulous look. “Why not just give me the letter first? Then we fight…”
Tiberius chuckled. “It looks like your honor has been challenged, Sir Raynot.”
“Excuse me, Tiberius; why are you going along with this?” He then whistled for his sword staff, Voidborne, which flew right into his hand. Truthfully he expected Tiberius to go on a lecture, but he just nodded at Blood-Wraith. “If you all insist…” He then summoned the large crystal blade, which glittered in the morning sun.
“Ooh, pretty,” Eloise complimented.
Barry had a bit of a chuckle, humming with excited electricity. “I don’t know how this is going to go, guys. Blood ain’t got the best track record, given his duel with Dunja…” This warranted some other chuckles, a few mildly incredulous looks, and a slight glare from Blood-Wraith.
“Don’t worry, Blood, you’ve got this,” Cronus encouraged. “Second time’s the charm.”
“It’s ‘third time’s the charm,’ Cronus,” Serjiel corrected.
He groaned a little in embarrassment. “My point still stands.”
Eloise could not help but laugh. “I know about the duel, as mom was there to see it…”
“WHAT, YOU TOO!?” Blood-Wraith exclaimed as he slammed his blade down on Eloise’s, catching her off guard. “JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SPYING ON ME!?” Everyone else quickly backed up as they could sense Blood-Wraith’s frustration just by being near him.
Blood-Wraith was venting anxiety and it showed in his frantic attacks. There was a mix of wide swings and staff acrobatics, all derived from his sessions with Master Vilho Rinne. Eloise was certainly no slouch, as her sword slashes were quick and swift, indicating she was playing to win. Her tenacity definitely caught Blood-Wraith off guard a few times. As for the rest of the guild, they were utterly enjoying the spectacle, amazed by what they were seeing from the two.
Yoshihiro was shadow boxing in tune with the sword classes, clearly having fun with all of it. “This is so freaking cool! Blood would kill it at one of the martial arts tournaments back home!”
“Oh shoot,” Dragoslava said as she noticed some familiar attacks. “Those are some of the techniques Vlastimir helped him use back in the Dark Grand Desert!”
Desislav nodded, thinking back to then. “Hey you’re right…” he then realized the issues that could arise. “Careful, Blood! Don’t go overboard as Vlastimir isn’t here right now!”
Weaver clapped as he noticed Blood-Wraith begin to glow with lilac fire surrounding him. “Oh shoot, here comes Indigo Wolf!”
The great wolf appeared in a burst of fire, standing at 10 feet tall and enwreathed in the lilac flames. Voidborne had turned into a giant greatsword that he held in his mouth. Eloise was amazed as she dodged Blood-Wraith’s charges, assuming she was up against Dunja’s power. Of course the grass and the yards were getting all scuffed up, but Tiberius was willing to allow it in order to show Valerie that they meant business. As the guild members cheered the combatants on, Brenna came running up to Tiberius and Alexia.
“Don’t worry…guys…” she was a bit out of breath. “The Royal Guard is on their way.” The others were disappointed by this news, causing Brenna to give them all confused looks.
“The Royal Guard?!” Eloise exclaimed as she knocked Blood-Wraith back. She then noticed that her golems were getting shot at. “Time to skedaddle! You win, Blood!”
“Wait, really?!” he said as he reverted back to his human form. “I was just getting warmed up! Why not resume this later?”
Eloise tossed him the envelope as she ran out the gate. “Don’t be late!” she called out as she summoned a motorcycle made of ice cream and candy. Eloise tore out of there, her golems following behind with haste.
Everyone settled down as the guardsmen approached to check on them. As Brenna went to address them, Blood-Wraith looked at the fancy envelope. “So where were Schwarzes and Zal in all of that ruckus?”
As if on cue, the two appeared from a gleaming, turquoise portal. They both looked a bit panicked. “Where’s Eloise!?” Ultimatum demanded to know.
“Argh, we missed her!” Zal-Rint complained. “I told Wynnstan he could handle that task from Nacht by himself, damn it!”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were related to Blood, Schwarzes,” Tiberius quipped, with some of the others trying to hide their quiet laughter.
“Don’t fret, boys,” said Alexia. “Eloise meant no harm. I’d be lying if I said all of it wasn’t quite fun and exciting.”
Tiberius then straightened out his collar and cleared his throat. “You two can make up for it by convening with us for a meeting on this matter. Blood, Drago, come with us. The rest of you? Let’s get this mess cleaned up before anything else happens.” There were some groans, but the guardsmen that showed up offered their assistance.
The guild hall had a good amount of conference and meeting rooms, all well built with cozy, wooden interiors and decorative plants lining the walls. Vexation and Deimos were the last to show up at Room 1A, with Tiberius and Dragoslava making sure everyone was up to speed. Ultimatum, Zal-Rint, and Vexation were all quite proud of Blood-Wraith, albeit he was more relieved if anything. Eventually the matter of the invitation came up, with Blood-Wraith reading it aloud.
“Let’s see… ‘Dear Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot, you are cordially invited to a modest dinner party at Castle Ter Avest tomorrow starting at 3 PM. You are also welcome to bring a small group of your choosing. Sincerely, Valerie Ter Avest. P.S. There should be a copy of Grave Requiem Overkill: Absolution Edition at your doorstep. Have fun.” Blood-Wraith calmly put down the letter and sighed. “She knows where I live, guys…”
Ultimatum nodded. “So, are you going to go?”
“Obviously… um, Uncle Deimos? Is it safe to go?”
Deimos leaned back in his chair and pondered that with a subtle grin. “I mean, it should be. Valerie has always been a refined woman of class, and an exceptionally fair maiden at that, yes indeed…”
Vexation noticed Deimos’ tone, groaned, and lightly whacked him upside the head. “Easy, loverboy. She invited Blood, not you.” He then noticed the others looking at them weirdly. “It’s complicated between those two.”
“Ahem, sorry. Past courtships and whatnot. “Yes, Blood, it should be safe to go. Valerie always respects a parley.”
“Alright then.” Blood-Wraith looked around the table for a second. “I definitely want Dunja along, and you too, Tiberius.”
“Of course, Blood,” he replied. “I would not let you go alone into such a situation, regardless of Valerie’s stance towards us.”
“And I’ll go too!” Dragoslava announced.
“Sure, sister,” Blood-Wraith replied. “Why though? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Well obviously to keep an eye on you and so I can write all of this down. Plus I’m curious to see what her castle is like.”
Tiberius nodded in agreement. “Very fair reasoning indeed. It would behoove all of us and the CUE Guild to document this meeting.”
Blood-Wraith was on board with that idea. “Fair enough. At least Valerie has good taste in video games… oh, she also included a map.”
Alexia clapped. “How excellent. There should be nothing to worry about then. It sounds like this will be a pleasant meeting where you’ll get to know each other. Now remember, Blood; you are a knight representing us and The Iron City. Be on your best behavior at all times.”
He laughed. “I know, Alexia, I know. Theobold and Brenna have been making sure I thoroughly study the Knight’s Code.” Blood-Wraith then sighed a breath of relief. There was still a little tension in his voice, but it was clear he was feeling better. “This is going to be interesting…”
Next: Chapter 5
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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